Atin Ito First Filipino Community Newspaper in Ontario
Survey results should be taken with a grain of salt, but in one way or another, these provide a glimpse of a society’s pulse on a variety of issues. One of the most recent surveys offering insight into the nation’s sentiment is the OCTA’s Third Quarter of 2023 “Tugon ng Masa” survey, which indicated that 62 percent of adult Filipinos “believe the country is heading in the right direction, based on current administration policies and actions, while 20 percent disagree.”
In a broad sense, this is positive news, with more affirmatives than negatives. But the data also shows the other side, that the “percentage of Filipinos who believe the country is on the right track has gone down from 72 percent in July 2023 to 62 percent in October 2023.”
OCTA reported in a statement released on Nov. 6, 2023 that the percentage of adult Filipinos who think that the country is headed in the right direction “decreased in all major areas since July 2023… with Balance Luzon leading the drop.”
The perception among adult Filipinos that the nation is progressing positively has also declined across all socio-economic classes, with the largest percentage drop observed among those in Class ABC.
“Across all major areas, the percentage of adult Filipinos who do not believe the country is headed in the right direction increased the most in Balance Luzon. Meanwhile, the percentage decreased in the Visayas, from 26 percent to 23 percent, a decrease of three percentage points,” according to OCTA.
OCTA’s Third Quarter of 2023 “Tugon ng Masa” survey is an independent poll that was conducted with 1,200 adult respondents nationwide from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4.
As with surveys like this, there will be those who will agree and those who will oppose the results. Political pundits may interpret the data differently. Some will say that the general positive result reflects the public’s continued trust in the administration’s policies, although the impact of reforms may not be immediately felt. Reforms in various sectors such as agriculture, transportation, infrastructure, education, and healthcare may take years, extending beyond this administration, to genuinely affect the public.
On the other hand, the survey results should also encourage the administration to fine-tune its ongoing programs. In fact, the administration is harping on the recent news that came out of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) when the agency said that “headline inflation eased to 4.9 percent in October this year from 6.1 percent in September.”
“Last month’s headline inflation rate was also lower than the 7.7 percent recorded in October last year. Core inflation, which excludes volatile oil and food items, was also down to 5.3 percent from 5.9 percent in September,” the PSA said.
This inflation news is a piece of good news that continues to buoy the administration’s hopes that more Filipinos will feel the beneficial impact of its economic policies.
Beyond the initial enthusiasm for the Marcos administration, certain sectors may feel dissatisfied or left behind. However, it does not imply that the administration should not reach out and attentively listen to the concerns of the people, particularly ordinary Filipinos who are affected by rising prices of goods, services, and healthcare costs.
The “Tugon ng Masa” survey, directly translated as “Response of the Masses,” is straightforward and clear, and our leaders need to sit up, listen, take note, and respond accordingly.
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Credit belongs to: www.mb.com.ph
